About Us

Our Mission

At Living Word Early Childhood Center we provide a safe, nurturing, Christian environment where young children learn through teacher planned and guided activities, as well as, structured play.

Living Word Early Childhood Center provides rich and exciting experiences for your child every day. Throughout the school year a variety of learning units are introduced, discussed and reinforced with activities to increase curiosity, interest and understanding.

Here’s a look at some of the units:

All About Me & My Family

Fall Changes in God’s World

Harvest & Thanksgiving

Occupation & Transportation

Birth of Jesus

Life Cycles

We provide hands-on activities for fine motor skill growth, such as cutting with scissors, drawing, painting, play dough and writing stations. Preschool wouldn’t be preschool without art projects with a variety of mediums – paint, dough, nature objects, etc.

Gross motor skills are encouraged through outdoor playground time or indoor playtime.

The whole child is nurtured with music and motion and science experiments to engage exploration and problem-solving.

Our staff of experienced and caring teachers encourage and inspire children’s natural excitement for exploring, discovering and learning. They implement developmentally-appropriate curriculum to enhance social, emotional, physical, cognitive, and spiritual growth. We help children see themselves as competent individuals and develop into life-long learners.

Living Word ECC graduates enter kindergarten with the skills and the confidence necessary for success; many qualify for the district’s gifted education program.

We are an outreach ministry of Living Word Church, dedicated to providing social and educational opportunities for children, ages 15 months to 6 years of age.

Our Staff

AMY JOHNSTON

Director of Early Childhood Center

Amy Johnston is our Director of Early Childhood Center, and we’d love for you to meet her.

Amy grew up in Vandalia, Illinois and earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Illinois Wesleyan University. She taught remedial reading for 10 years, then a stay-at-home mom for 10 years before becoming the director. Amy and her husband Jeff, have 3 children; Aubrey, Colin and Halle. They have been members of Living Word since 2004 and Amy jumped right into helping out in numerous Living Word ministries-including VBS, Sunday School, Children’s Ministry Team, bible studies and serving as chair of the ECC Board of Directors.

Amy knows how crucial early childhood education is and loves providing a fun, nurturing place for little ones to learn and grow! She loves reading, watching her own children play sports and getting away with her family, to the cabin in the woods down near Farmington.

JESSICA SMITHSON

Early Childhood Center Administrative Assistant

Jessica grew up in Mississippi and Tennessee and moved to the St. Louis area in 1999. Her family joined Living Word in 2000. Her husband, Jeff, works for Sams Club . They have three children: Ryan, Reagan and Reid. Jessica joined the staff of Living Word ECC in July 2006. If she had free time she would enjoy reading and scrapbooking!!

The staff at Living Word Early Childhood Center has over 150 combined years of

educating and nurturing young children.

Just visit our preschool and you will find children emersed in child-centered activities